Apparatus and Method for Simultaneous Imprinting and Piercing of Dough

A method for producing loaves each imprinted with a pattern containing a plurality of raised areas and a plurality of recessed areas said method comprising:

• providing an apparatus configured for simultaneously imprinting and piercing of dough to produce imprinted loaves, said dough consisting of flour, water and yeast, said apparatus comprising:
• an upper plate holder attached to a movable aim a substantially fiat first upper plate having a bottom side surface, said first upper plate being adapted for removably mounting onto the upper plate holder;
• a lower plate holder disposed in a fixed position;
• a substantially flat lower plate having a top side surface, said lower plate being adapted for removably mounting into the lower plate holder;
• a second substantially flat upper plate having a bottom side surface, said second flat upper plate being adapted for removably mounting into the upper plate holder, said second upper plate containing at least one emboss pattern engraved onto the bottom side surface of the second upper plate, the emboss pattern containing a plurality of shaped projections that protrude outwardly and are elevated above the bottom side surface of the second upper plate, said emboss pattern also containing recessed areas below the bottom side surface, said embossed pattern also containing a plurality of outwardly projecting pins contained within the emboss pattern, said pins being affixed on said bottom side surface of the upper plate;
• at least one round-shaped depression disposed below the top side surface of the lower plate;
• means for applying pressure onto the upper plate holder such that an upper plate mounted onto the upper plate holder contacts the lower plate in a substantially parallel position relative to the lower plate and transfers the pressure to said upper plate and subsequently to the lower plate, and such that each emboss pattern disposed on the second upper plate bottom surface substantially lines up with a corresponding depression disposed on the lower plate top side surface, heating means adapted to heat the first upper plate bottom surface to a temperature ranging from about 90 degrees F. to about 180 degrees F.;
• and heating means adapted to heat the lower plate upper surface to a temperature ranging from about 90 degrees F. to about 180 degrees F.;
• mounting the first upper plate onto the upper plate holder and heating the first upper plate to a predetermined temperature;
• mounting the lower plate onto the lower plate holder and heating said lower plate to a predetermined temperature;
• placing a dough piece of a predetermined weight into each depression;
• applying pressure onto the first upper plate in a manner as to bring the first upper plate in contact with the lower plate and in a manner as to flatten each dough piece such that it fills its corresponding depression to produce flat dough pieces inside the depressions;
• gelatinizing the surface of each dough piece to produce gelatinized dough pieces;
• proofing the fiat pieces at a predetermined temperature and humidity levels for a period of between about 20 minutes and 40 minutes to produced proofed dough pieces;
• removing the first tipper plate from the upper plate holder and mounting the second upper plate onto the upper plate holder;
• applying pressure onto the second upper plate in a manner as to bring the second upper plate in contact with the lower plate in a manner as to press the emboss patterns onto the proofed dough pieces to produce imprinted loaves;
• and
• placing the imprinted loaves into a convection oven lot between about 10 minutes and 20 minutes at a temperature of between about 350 degrees F. and about 400 degrees F.

An apparatus configured for manually and concurrently imprinting and piercing of dough to produce imprinted loaves, said dough consisting of flour, water and yeast, said apparatus comprising:

• an upper plate holder attached to a movable arm;
• a substantially flat first upper plate having a bottom side surface, said first upper plate being adapted for removably mounting onto the upper plate holder;
• a lower plate holder disposed in a fixed position;
• a substantially flat lower plate having a top side surface, said lower plate being adapted for removably mounting into the lower plate holder;
• a second substantially flat upper plate having a bottom side surface, said second flat upper plate being adapted for removably mounting into the upper plate holder,
• said second upper plate containing a plurality of embossing patterns engraved onto the bottom side surface of the second upper plate, each of said embossing patterns contains a plurality of areas that are recessed from the surface of each embossing pattern, said recessed areas being arranged in as circle on the periphery of each embossing pattern, said areas forming symbols representing Coptic script encircling a plurality of cross patterns, said recessed areas being configured to form corresponding raised areas on the respective loaf in the course of imprinting the loaf;
• a plurality of outwardly projecting pins contained within said embossing patterns, said pins being affixed on said surface;
• a plurality of round-shaped depressions disposed below the top side surface of the lower plate;
• and
• a handle attached to said movable arm, said handle adapted to allow pressure to be manually applied to said upper plate holder such that an upper plate mounted onto the upper plate holder contacts the lower plate in a substantially parallel position relative to the lower plate and transfers the pressure to said upper plate and subsequently to the lower plate, and such that each of said embossing patterns disposed on the second upper plate bottom surface substantially lines up with a corresponding respective round-shaped depression disposed on the lower plate top side surface.